Magic Johnson Has Harsh Words About HBO's Lakers Series
HBO's Lakers series, "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is set to arrive in March 2022, and it's already whipped up plenty of controversy well before the show even starts airing. It's taken from Jeff Pearlman's book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s" — which gives readers an in-depth look at the iconic basketball team and the larger-than-life figures involved in their success. The sports drama recently made headlines for the role it played in dissolving the longtime partnership between producer Adam McKay and Will Ferrell.
As per Vanity Fair, Ferrell was hurt that McKay chose to cast John C. Reilly as iconic Lakers owner Jerry Buss. It ended with a frosty phone call between the pair, as Adam McKay explained, "I said, 'Well, I mean, we're splitting up the company'. And he basically was like, 'Yeah, we are' basically was like, 'Have a good life.'" He then added "And I'm like, 'F***, Ferrell's never going to talk to me again.' So it ended not well."
That won't be the only controversy tracking the series, either. Legendary NBA star Magic Johnson recently had some harsh words about HBO's Lakers series — noting that he's not involved with the project in any way.
Magic Johnson isn't going to watch HBO's Lakers series
Adam McKay's "Winning Time" features a sprawling cast of stars playing some of the biggest names related to the Lakers including "Step Brothers" star John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Sally Field as Jessie Buss, and Adrien Brody as Pat Riley. While Solomon Hughes is playing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, DeVaughn Nixon will play Norm Nixon, and Quincy Isaiah will star as Magic Johnson. But in a recent interview with TMZ, Magic Johnson voiced his opinion of "Winning Time," saying that he won't watch the series and that he's focused on his own projects.
Johnson explained, "We got different shows coming out," also adding "I got one. Then, Jeanie Buss got one on Showtime coming out. Those are the ones [I'm] looking forward to, OK?" The icon refused to elaborate on his comments when asked if he'd given his blessing to "Winning Time." Instead, he landed this cryptic dig: "Well, like I said, I'm not looking forward to it. I'm gonna leave it at that."
For the moment it's not clear why Magic Johnson seems to be against the HBO project, aside from working on his own series. "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" starts airing on HBO in March 2022.